Crowdfunding platform CrowdIt has announced that its site went live with more than 150 projects ready to be funded. CrowdIt has created strong industry buzz and attracted a significant number of initial projects and users due to its mission to revolutionize the crowdfunding industry by adding value beyond just the funding event. CrowdIt’s model provides much-needed support for success through mentoring, peer-review and third-party support services, while extending the crowdfunding experience to the professional community at large through an interactive and engaging social network.
A competition previously announced, CrowdIt will also be contributing $10,000 to the project that reaches the highest amount of funding by Aug. 18, 2013, 75 days after today’s go-live date.
“The live launch of CrowdIt is a great day for the company, all of our dreamers with projects, our partners and the industry as we introduce new and innovative ways to improve the crowdfunding experience,” said Jason Graf , co-founder and CEO of CrowdIt. “Starting today,
people can support projects and soon, business professionals can join our social business network community to ignite the next wave in crowdfunding that shifts the focus from just funding to end-to-end project success.”
The 150 projects are from more than 30 states that range from small to very large, with an average project size of around $60,000. CrowdIt’s approach to crowdfunding is to extend beyond just funding by incorporating much-needed expert advice, peer review, collaboration and business networking into the core functionality of the site. The CrowdIt community already has more than 1,000 registered “Dreamers” (project owners) and “Believers” (project supporters). Business professionals and mentors or “Suits” will soon be able to join the site as well. Anyone can sign into the CrowdIt community to search for like-minded partners, engage in conversation and collaborate toward the success of the crowdfunding project.
In addition to funding projects, CrowdIt offers:
- CrowdIt Project Groups: all project owners can set up groups of supporters and mentors to create a social
and collaborative workspace to brainstorm and move projects forward. - Inter-network Communication: Suits, Dreamers and Believers will all be able to communicate via direct messaging and within weeks, instant messaging. This extends the interactivity of the CrowdIt community to promote collaboration and project success.
- Badges Highlighting Special Users: Through both unique levels of participation and contributions on the site, people can unlock achievements and new capabilities through an initial set of 25 badges offered by CrowdIt.
Lawyers, accountants, consultants, accredited investors and experienced entrepreneurs can soon join the CrowdIt community to connect with and support project dreamers that are in need of assistance and guidance. CrowdIt will continue to add new features and functionality to the site and the crowd itself will be instrumental in determining what capabilities can be improved and what other features should be considered.